Vahlodea atropurpurea

(Wahlenb.) Fr. ex Hartm.
Common names: Mountain hairgrass Deschampsie pourpre
Synonyms: Deschampsia atropurpurea var. latifolia Deschampsia atropurpurea Vahlodea flexuosa Vahlodea atropurpurea subsp. paramushirensis Vahlodea atropurpurea subsp. latifolia
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 692.

Culms 15-80 cm, erect. Leaves glabrous or pilose; lower sheaths usually retrorsely hirsute, some¬times glabrous; uppermost sheaths smooth or scabridulous; ligules 0.8-3.5 mm, rounded to truncate, often lacerate and ciliate; blades flat, blades of the lower leaves to 30 cm long, 1-8.5 mm wide, blades of the flag leaves 1-10 cm long, 1-5 mm wide. Panicles 3-20 cm; pedicels smooth or scabrous-pubescent. Spikelets 4-7 mm. Glumes usually smooth or scabrous on the keels and marginal veins; lower glumes 4-5(6.5) mm; upper glumes 4-5.5(7) mm; lemmas 1.8-3 mm, apices scabrous, ciliate, awns 2-4 mm; anthers 0.5-1.2 mm. Caryopses 1-1.5 mm. 2n = 14.

Distribution

Maine, N.H., Colo., Wash., N.Y., Alaska, Vt., Alta., B.C., Greenland, Man., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., Que., Yukon, Mont., Idaho, Calif., Wyo., Oreg.

Discussion

Vahlodea atropurpurea grows in moist to wet, open woods, forest edges, streamsides, snowbeds, and meadows, in montane to alpine and subarctic habitats. Plants from northwestern North America tend to have wider, more pubescent leaves and shorter lemma hairs than those elsewhere. They are sometimes treated as a distinct taxon, but the variation is continuous.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Vahlodea atropurpurea"
Jacques Cayouette +  and Stephen J. Darbyshire +
(Wahlenb.) Fr. ex Hartm. +
Mountain hairgrass +  and Deschampsie pourpre +
Maine +, N.H. +, Colo. +, Wash. +, N.Y. +, Alaska +, Vt. +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Greenland +, Man. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.W.T. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, Que. +, Yukon +, Mont. +, Idaho +, Calif. +, Wyo. +  and Oreg. +
Deschampsia atropurpurea var. latifolia +, Deschampsia atropurpurea +, Vahlodea flexuosa +, Vahlodea atropurpurea subsp. paramushirensis +  and Vahlodea atropurpurea subsp. latifolia +
Vahlodea atropurpurea +
Vahlodea +
species +